The Why: Philly Explained

Federal prosecutors want a man accused of killing 11 people at The Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh one year ago to face a death sentence. But some survivors of the shooting object. WESA’s An-Li Herring explains why they say it’s the best way to honor the victims and breaks down whether their opposition could make a difference.

One of the biggest political showdowns in next month’s election is in Delaware County, where Democrats could take control of the county government for the first time. Phil Heron, the longtime editor of the Delaware County Daily Times, breaks down the political shift that could bring an end to nearly a century of Republican Party power there — and why that shift predates President Trump.

It used to be that when you were diagnosed with sickle-cell disease, you weren’t expected to live past your twenties. Now, treatments have advanced and a cure for the blood disease could be around the corner. WHYY’s Dana Bate explains why doctors in Philadelphia worry those adult patients might be left behind, creating what she calls a “lost generation.”

Federal regulators have confirmed that more than 3,000 pounds of a toxic chemical called hydrofluoric acid was released during the massive explosion at the Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery in June. StateImpact Pennsylvania reporter Susan Phillips breaks down why no one was injured and how the city narrowly avoided a disaster.

After 27 years in prison, Willy Veasy was let free last week, exonerated after lawyers discovered that two detectives had pressured him into confessing to a murder he didn’t commit. The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Chris Palmer explains why there could be more cases like Veasy’s as the District Attorney’s office investigates allegations of coerced confessions and bad convictions.

As President Trump has continued to slash the number of refugees allowed to come to the United States, the administration’s policies have also changed the faces of people fleeing war or persecution and resettling in Pennsylvania. WHYY’s Laura Benshoff explains why this is happening and who’s coming here.

About 1,000 students are finally back in class this week after construction delays and the discovery of asbestos forced a building housing two Philadelphia high schools to close for more than three weeks. While officials scrambled to find a space for them, parents pushed back hard on the district’s proposals. WHYY education reporter Avi Wolfman-Arent explains why this fiasco exposed parents’ anxieties about the safety of Philly’s schools.

More than 50 years ago, Philadelphia tried to remake the Eastwick neighborhood. By all measures, it failed. Catalina Jaramillo, a reporter with WHYY’s PlanPhilly, explains why it’s taken so long for the city to try to fix it.

A federal judge recently ruled that opening a place where people could use illegal drugs under the watch of doctors and nurses does not violate federal law. WHYY health reporter Nina Feldman explains why that controversial decision could pave the way for the nation’s first supervised injection site.

New Jersey is one of the few states in the nation that hold statewide elections only in odd-numbered years. The goal was to focus voters’ attention more on local issues. But is it working? WHYY’s New Jersey Statehouse reporter Joe Hernandez explains the pros and cons.